Technology

Thank you for showing an interest in the Technology department. The National Curriculum states:

‘Design Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.’

We are extremely passionate about our subject and very proud of our department and its achievements. The above quote perfectly summarises our department and everything we aim to achieve on a daily basis.

In all years within Technology we deliver a wide range of projects that use a number of different materials, processes and techniques to allow students to design and manufacture quality, practical outcomes that address real life issues.

The department itself is extremely well equipped to allow us to achieve this and we are fortunate enough to have a wide range of facilities and purpose built classrooms. These include: one CAD CAM suite, one Resistant Materials workshop, one Engineering workshop, one Graphics suite and one general purpose workshop. We also have three Food Technology rooms and one Textiles Technology suite.

Key Stage 3

Our Key Stage 3 curriculum is designed to ensure progressive learning and to help our students successfully transfer into KS4 with the correct skills, knowledge and understanding to succeed. Throughout KS3 students study Technology twice a week – one lesson is dedicated to ‘hard’ Technology and the other to ‘soft’ Technology.

In Years 7 and 8 our students complete a wide range of projects in a number of different disciplines. These projects are quite short and tend to have more of a focus on the practical nature of the subject. Students respond well to this and are always pleased with the products they are able to take home.

Year 9 includes more Technology theory, design development and demanding practical work than previous years as students begin to prepare themselves for KS4.

GCSE

KS4 builds on the learning taken place during the previous Key Stage. Students have the opportunity to pick one of three different Technology subjects to study at GCSE level. These are:

AQA GCSE Design Technology – In this course, students learn about the design and make process. They learn how to produce a wide range of products using a variety of materials that solve a range of real life problems.

AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition – In this course, students not only learn how to cook a wide range of different meals, they also learn about the ‘science’ behind the food they work with and the nutritional value it provides.

WJEC Level 2 Engineering – In this course, students learn how to produce their own technical drawings as well as learning how to interpret technical drawings produced by others in order to manufacture a wide range of engineering products.

In all of these subjects, students begin the course by completing a number of short projects designed to teach them the necessary skills required to complete their coursework. Approximately half of Y10 and the beginning of Y11 is spent completing the various coursework units that make up the different qualifications before the focus is turned to the exam units that students must complete at the end of Y11.

Sixth Form

If students decide to enrol at the Sixth Form, they have the option to study A-level Product Design and A-level Fashion and Textiles here in the Technology department.

In both of these courses students are taught theory and workshop based manufacturing as well as 3D design skills at different points throughout the course to allow them to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to succeed in both coursework and exam based units.

Both courses consist of three units, two of which are exam based and one which is coursework based. The coursework based unit accounts for 50% of the overall qualification and is a design and make task where students can choose their own project and write their own brief. The two exam units are equally weighted and consist of a mix of short answer, multiple choice questions to extended response, essay-type questions.